Book reviews of mainly modern & contemporary fiction

Menu

Triple Choice Tuesday: Consumed by Ink

Welcome to Triple Choice Tuesday. This is where I ask some of my favourite bloggers, writers and readers to share the names of three books that mean a lot to them. The idea is that it might raise the profile of certain books and introduce you to new titles, new authors and new bloggers.

Naomi started her blog a little over a year ago in order to share her love of reading and good books.

“One of my personal goals, when I started blogging, was to read more Canadian content,” she says. “I wanted to learn more about the books and authors in my own country, and I hope that sharing about them on my blog will bring them some more love and attention.”

In keeping with the goals of her blog, Naomi has chosen three books that are Canadian — all from the Maritime Provinces, which is where Naomi is from and still resides — for Triple Choice Tuesday:

A favourite book: The Nymph and the Lamp by Thomas Raddall

I read this book a few years ago, and went into it without any expectations or recommendations. I just thought it would be fun to read a book set on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia (in the book it is a fictional island called Marina). To my surprise and delight, I loved it.

The Nymph and the Lamp is a love story that takes place against the backdrop of 1920s Halifax, Annapolis Valley and an isolated island in the North Atlantic. It’s a story about searching for home and belonging — something we can all relate to at some point in our lives. Just thinking about it makes me want to read it again. I just might.

A book that changed my world: The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor by Sally Armstrong

This is the book that made me realise how much fun reading locally can be, and how much more I wanted to do it. Sally Armstrong is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Charlotte Taylor, thought to be one of the first British settlers on the banks of the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada.

In The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor, she combines fact and fiction to piece together a captivating story about a strong, feisty woman who helped to tame the land around the Miramichi River. She outlived her three husbands, worked hard to take care of her large family, and lived to the age of 86. I thought it was an amazing story, and it made me want to read more like it. Who doesn’t want to read the stories of their ancestors, or the history of the people who helped to shape where they are living today?

A book that deserves a wider audience: The Sea Captain’s Wife by Beth Powning

I loved this book so much, that I am still surprised that so few people know about it. Once again, we have local history mixed with a maritime setting, in this case along the Bay of Fundy during the Age of Sail. Another thing I love is a good sea-faring story.

After becoming the wife of Captain Nathaniel, Azuba experiences what it’s like to be left behind while her husband is at sea for months at a time, and is determined to go with him on his next voyage. Beth Powning paints a beautiful and real picture of what it would be like to travel from port to port, the excitement as well as the boredom, and most of all the terrible dangers of being at sea. She also explores how a marriage might be tested under both circumstances; being apart for months at a time, and being together on a ship day after day.

Thanks, Naomi, for taking part in my Triple Choice Tuesday!

What wonderful choices! As a relatively new convert to Canadian literature, thanks to my participation in the Shadow Giller since 2011, these all sound like books I’d love to read. I’ve not heard of any of them before, so thanks for taking me on a new voyage of discovery — I’m particularly intrigued by The Sea Captain’s Wife because I love a good seafaring adventure, too.

What do you think of Naomi’s choices? Have you read any of these books?

Naomi is one of the reasons I’ve tried harder to incorporate CanLit into my reading life. She has such love for her subject matter and it’s totally contagious. The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor sounds really good and I’m also curious about The Sea Captain’s Wife. Doesn’t Beth Powning have a new book out? I actually think I have it at home…guess I’m reading that soon!

Beth Powning does have a new book out, Eva! A Measure of Light comes out this month (maybe on the 17th?). I can already tell you it’s good (maybe not as good as The Sea Captain’s Wife, though, but that’s just my opinion – for some reason I have a special spot in my heart for The Sea Captain’s Wife), and my review on it will be ready very soon.
Thanks for the kind words! 🙂

I don’t know any of these, but I’ll check out The Nine Lives and The Sea Captain’s Wife. It’s too bad that sometimes I can’t get the CanLit Naomi recommends, even though I don’t live THAT far from Canada…

Have read (and really liked) Beth Powning’s “The Sea Captain’s Wife” but not the other, although now I want to….especially Raddell’s “The Nymph and the Lamp”.

My favorite book of Powning’s is “The Hatbox Letters”…..Beth was first a photographer, then an author and her photographer’s eye certainly works well with her author’s words in that book. She deserves a wider readership. …..hopefully Naomi, you have helped.

I also hope that the word is spreading! I feel like this came out at a good time – her newest book is just being released this month, and it is also very good. I have The Hat Box Letters, but haven’t read it yet. It’s great to hear that it’s your favourite of her books. Now, I can’t wait to get to it!

Another brilliant set of recommendations, I enjoy reading Naomi’s reviews and insights into Canadian Literature and wonderful to know what her favourites and influences have been. Thanks Kim and Naomi!